March 31, 2023

Sign up now: INBA Spring(field) Convention, April 28-30

Prepare your tastebuds for horseshoes as the INBA Spring 2023 convention rolls into downtown Springfield April 28-30 at the Wyndham City Centre (formerly the Hilton Springfield).

The keynote speaker on Saturday night will be former U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos. Other details, including educational sessions, are still coming together. Watch this website and INBA social media (icons are at the top of this page) as those elements are finalized in the weeks ahead.

We do have a few details to share now:

  • Tickets for the convention are on sale now. The deadline to purchase tickets is April 20, although you can get an early bird discount by registering by March 31.
  • The INBA rate for rooms at the Wyndham will be $104 a night plus tax. Make your reservation now at https://bit.ly/INBASpring2023. Rooms priced at the convention rate are limited.
  • Our Saturday night dinner event will feature the SINBA Awards and scholarship presentations for college broadcasters.
  • On Sunday morning, NABJ Chicago President Brandon Pope will talk about how Black journalists can prepare for long careers and how newsrooms can provide support.
  • You can’t leave Springfield without having a horseshoe. Prior to our Sunday morning session, the hotel will serve attendees a build-your-own breakfast version of the capital city’s signature dish.
  • We are seeking business sponsors for our event. Program advertisements and other promotional considerations are available.

Aaron Eades

As a student, it's often difficult to picture what working in the real world will be like. For me, the INBA bridged that gap by giving me the chance to talk to professionals who used to be in the same shoes I'm in now.

Alexis McAdams

INBA played a huge part in preparing me for my broadcasting career. The INBA conventions connect students with on-air talent and news directors who give feedback on now to improve your work. Through relationships I made at those conventions, I was able to obtain my first on air reporting job.

Ryan Denham

I recently attended my first INBA conference—and it won’t be my last. The combination of professional and student journalists learning together is electric. Everyone learns from each other and walks away with new friends (and LinkedIn connections). I know I did.

Jennifer Fuller

INBA is not only a great networking tool, it also provides advocacy and support for journalists in an ever-changing world.

Bob Roberts

INBA is as much about friendship and as it is about achieving common goals. It provides two things individual newsrooms cannot: in-service training, and the ability to speak out on issues affecting the profession. But most of all, it brings newspeople together.

Molly Jirasek

One of my top goals in my career was to get to Chicago. Thanks to INBA I met Margaret Larkin. She remembered our great conversations about Chicago and first alerted me to a job opening in the city I might be interested in. Lo and behold, I got that job! INBA helped me reach my dream.

Andrew Tanielian

INBA taught me how to network in a meaningful way. The scholarship process taught me how to endure a hard job interview and thrive.

Nora Baldner

The support INBA gives to student journalists is vitally important as we all discover how technology is changing news dissemination, INBA monitors and actively encourages truth, transparency and accountability from students and their universities.

Mike Miletich

Joining the INBA was one of my best life decisions. I met some of the best broadcast journalists while I was still a college student. Plus, I ended up getting a job through the connections I made!

Michelle Eccles McLaughlin

INBA is an organization that really caters to continuing education for professionals. It offers a relatively inexpensive way to learn new things, reinforce best practices and network.

Brian O'Keefe

One of the greatest benefits for me has been getting to see and know other parts of the state. I’m not from Illinois and traveling to spring and fall conventions over the years has transformed dots on a map to memories of places that enhance my story telling process.

Jeff Bossert

When I was working in radio for the first time, I had no idea whether I could truly handle the demands. But INBA made me curious and want to improve. Even now, when I’ve maybe worked a lot of hours or planned some stories that didn’t come together for one reason or another, what I learn from an INBA conference gets me re-invigorated about the business.

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